Taijiro Aoki

Taijiro Aoki (青木泰二郎, Aoki Takijirō) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Aoki graduated from the 41st class of Naval Academy at Etajima in December 1913. His classmates included Ryūnosuke Kusaka, Masatomi Kimura and Raizō Tanaka. Aoki was promoted to captain in 1937, and was made commander of the seaplane tender Mizuho. He subsequently served as commandant of the naval aviation training schools at Yokosuka and Tsuchiura.
On 25 April 1942, Aoki was made the captain of the aircraft carrier Akagi. He was in command of ship at the time of her sinking at the battle of Midway on 5 June 1942, and attempted to go down with his ship until being forcibly removed by his crew. After the battle, he applied to enter the reserves, but was instead sent the garrison of the Japanese-occupied Hainan, and was made commander of the naval air group based at Haikou. He was subsequently recalled to Japan to command the Sasebo Air Group and was in command of the Genzan Air Group in Korea at the time of the surrender of Japan. On hearing of the surrender announcement, Aoki flew back to the Japanese home islands; however, the men left behind in Wonsan were captured by the Soviet Union and were taken as slave labor to Siberia, where many perished. Aoki died in 1967.